My Story:
How I Got “SOLD” On
My Life’s Greatest Calling:
Enriching the Lives of Others
I was a serial entrepreneur for 20 years. It seemed I “had it all”. But something started gnawing at my soul. There was something I knew I wanted to do more. Something I felt was my life’s greatest calling…
I grew up in a good neighborhood in Salt Lake City, but my family didn’t have much money. We weren’t starving by any means, but as a kid,I didn’t have anything just handed to me so I worked a lot. At 10 years old, I was selling cold sodas to thirsty golfers between the 6th and 7th hole on the golf course. At 14, I was a dishwasher and busboy. Then on to mowing lawns, 33 per week. The summer before my senior year, I was doing grueling construction work for $5/hr. Hard work is how I got the things I wanted.
“My first sales job – selling cold pop to hot, thirsty golfers”
After high school, through my church, I lived in and did volunteer work for two years throughout the country of South Africa. The experience ignited in me a burning desire to succeed in life; and to bless the lives of others with that success.
At the suggestion of a spiritual leader, I began to read everything
I could get my hands on about the subject of “success”.
“Some of the original books that began shaping my life for success”
I was on my way to new thought patterns, but ‘how’ to succeed was going to take time. By 24, I was married, broke and living in a basement apartment. I'd set school aside in order to support my wife in finishing her teaching degree.
You name it, I sold it — in person, over the phone, inside a showroom, outside in the rain, in an office, in a family room, in a hotel ballroom or behind a counter!
Hoping sales could give me an above average income, I entered into the “school of hard knocks” and worked for years selling all kinds of things. Encyclopedias (remember those?), automobiles, financial and real estate education, coaching products, retail sales, telecommunications and career consulting services. You name it, I sold it - in person, over the phone, inside a showroom, outside in the rain, in an office, in a family room, in a hotel ballroom or behind a counter! Along the way I worked with and trained several thousand people - up to 1,000 in a single setting on one occasion. Eventually, I gained sales mastery and became a top producer.
After selling for 10 years, using a little savings and a credit card, I decided to go into business for myself - flying by the seat of my pants. I had no close entrepreneurial role models, but I chose to believe in my possibilities. I was ignorance on fire! Within a few years, but not without a whole lot of work and some risk, I had built a number of successful companies in a variety of industries selling high-ticket offers. In fact, I found myself on the front cover of a business magazine, with one of my companies as the feature story. Each company was built without investment capital - or even a written business plan - but eventually I had generated over $100 Million in sales.
It seemed I “had it all”. But there was something I knew I wanted to do more. Something that really lit up my soul.
I loved watching their eyes light up when they really had that ‘Aha’ moment about their own greater potential!
Over the last 30 years, I would often find myself sharing things with people in a way that showed them how much more was possible for them than what they were currently seeing for themselves. Each time, I loved watching their eyes light up when they really had that ‘Aha’ moment about their own greater potential! I’d feel joy and a deep sense of purpose! But as a serial entrepreneur, I found myself stretched so thin I had fewer and fewer of these moments. It began to gnaw at me.
One day, while on vacation in Mexico, I finally said to my wife, “Honey, there’s something I’ve been putting off, something I’ve been thinking I’ll get around to, but I feel it’s now or never. What I really want to do is use the rest of my life enriching the lives of others by teaching what I’ve learned. I want to stop building companies, and start building people. If I don’t do that, I’m going to die with regrets.”
It’s taken me three years to start transitioning out of my most time consuming business interests. But as I have, I’ve been getting on point with my life’s greatest calling, which is to help others achieve their best life and their greatest potential.
Family First: married to my bride of 26 years & blessed with four wonderful children who enrich my life every day.
M
ike Burnett knows what it’s like to struggle financially.
Setting school aside in order to support his wife in completing her teaching degree, he entered into the worrisome “school of hard knocks” almost 30 years ago. By working his tail off – in addition to becoming an avid student of success – Mike learned how to sell.
During the first decade of his career, he became a top producer in selling high-ticket automotive, education, financial, consulting, and coaching products.
Mike spent the next 20 years becoming a thriving serial entrepreneur by starting & building a number of high-ticket sales companies in a variety of industries – each without outside financing or a written business plan – generating over $100 Million in sales.
Having personally trained thousands of businesspeople throughout his career, Mike’s passion is helping service professionals, consultants, coaches, and other experts increase their fees and sell more effectively to high-paying clients.
